Encounters: Raph and the Firefighter
by hummerhouse
Summary: You can't live in a city of over 8 million people without interacting with a few of them. Rated for adult concepts and situations, language. See my gallery for more Encounters stories.


Raphael had just parted company with Casey Jones and was on his way back to the lair when a bright orange glow along the nearby skyline caught his attention.

He was experienced enough to know what that meant. Swiftly changing course, Raph raced across roof tops, rushing to find the source of that glow. Raph had gone about twenty city blocks when he began hearing sirens, some of them speeding past him on the street below.

In another few blocks Raph came upon the emergency that had drawn both he and a multitude of emergency responders.

Flames shot out of the lower floor windows of a twelve story apartment building. The building was old and in disrepair; a veritable tinder box with only one external fire escape. Raph kept track of the apartment buildings in the area he patrolled and he knew that the owner of this one had been cited a number of times for safety violations.

Fortunately, only about half of the apartments were occupied and from the size of the crowd that was milling around in the street, many of them in pajamas, it appeared that the firefighters had gotten everyone out.

Keeping out of sight on the building across the street, Raph watched as the firefighters battled the inferno. The fire kept climbing despite their best efforts, fueled by rotting wood and gusting winds. It was clear that the building had no sprinkler system and from the size of the blaze, it probably had no fire alarms either.

Smoke was rising from the upper story windows and as Raph watched, a brilliant spike of flame shot up through one section of the roof. The heat it gave off was so intense that Raph could feel it warming his skin.

Since it was apparent that the building was a total loss and confident that the firefighters had everything under control, Raph turned to leave.

He'd only taken three steps when high pitched screaming from down in the street reached his ears and Raph rushed back to find the cause of the commotion. He was in time to see a woman barrel through the police barricade, evading the officers who were holding the crowd back.

As she raced towards the burning building a firefighter emerged and managed to catch her before she could run inside. Her cries were loud enough so that Raph understood her words.

"My son! My son's inside!"

Raph couldn't hear what the firefighter said, but from the way he was holding the distraught woman it was easy to see he was afraid that she'd dart straight into the fire.

He watched as the woman pleaded with the firefighter and could only imagine her grief and fear. Having someone beg him to save their child's life would have done a number on Raph and he eyed the building, wondering if he could get inside.

Not knowing which floor the child was on made it more of a challenge. It wasn't as though Raph could go down there and ask the woman.

Other firefighters rushed up to the pair and took hold of the woman, pulling her away from the building's entrance. It was hard; she was fighting like a wildcat to get back inside, her anguished screams stabbing straight into Raph's heart.

As Raph searched for a path that would get him into the building unseen, he saw the first firefighter look back at his fire unit and then towards the entrance. Raph knew what he was going to do before he did it, not at all surprised when the firefighter dashed into the burning building.

His fellow firefighters were surprised though. Raph could hear them shouting at him, yelling _"_ _Carl!"_ and _"_ _Get out of there!"_ at his retreating back.

Of course Carl ignored them; he'd already made up his mind to find the little boy or die trying. It was a mindset that Raphael could completely understand, having made that same type of decision more times than he could count.

Even so, Raph couldn't help feeling a touch of wry humor as he thought, _"_ _Where's Silver Sentry when ya' need him?"_

The firefighters on the street had been joined by another fire company, all of them concentrating their hoses on the building. The police department personnel were moving the crowds back, clearing the area so that the civilians would not be injured by falling debris.

It was a good opportunity for Raph to cross over to the building next to the one that was on fire. Making his way unseen into the alley next to his building, Raph darted between some parked cars and crouched down. He knew there would be a moment when everyone's eyes would be on the fire scene, so he waited.

When a window on the third floor blew outwards, flames shooting through the opening, Raph saw his chance. Moving fast, he crossed the street and ran for the shadows of the nearest alleyway.

For safety's sake the residents of that building had also been evacuated, so no one saw the large mutant turtle as he ascended the fire stairs all the way up to the roof. Even before he cleared the edge, Raph could feel the heat coming off of the neighboring building.

The firefighters were hosing down the outside of the building he was on to keep it from catching fire, so Raph stayed down low as he made his way towards the burning structure. Fortunately, the roof he was on was at the same height, so Raph could squat to peer over the edge and still remain unseen.

It was clear that the lower floors were fully engulfed and Raph hoped that the child was in one of the upper ones. There was no sign of Carl and Raph added a little prayer that the man was fast, because from his experience, trying to outrun a fire was not an easy thing to do.

Just as Raph began to scope out the best way to enter the building, he heard shouts from the firefighters below. A number of them were pointing upwards and Raph turned his attention in the direction they were indicating.

Carl was standing at a ninth floor window, waving a piece of curtain so that his fellows could find him. A young boy was perched on one arm and Raph was near enough to see that he was soot covered but unharmed.

That would not be the case for long as smoke was beginning to drift through the open window.

Movement near the outside of the building caught Raph's attention and he saw that a ladder truck had pulled up as close to the structure as was possible. Flames from the lower floors made it difficult to get too near, though the firefighters manning the hoses did their best to hold back the blaze.

The ladder began to swing up towards the window, extending to nearly its uppermost reach capability. A firefighter started his upward climb, moving as quickly as he could while encumbered by a heavy suit and breathing apparatus.

Watching the men and woman of New York City's fire fighting service in action never failed to make Raphael feel proud. If he could have held down a job, he would have probably joined them.

The firefighter reached the top of the ladder, holding on as the driver used the hydraulic gears to shift the ladder until it was just under the window. Once it was set, the firefighter reached for the little boy and placed him over one shoulder. With a good grip on the boy's legs, the firefighter started back down again.

Carl waited at the window, watching his colleague descend the ladder. Raph wasn't sure what the protocol was for the amount of weight which could be distributed on the telescoping ladder, but it appeared that Carl would not move until it was safe to do so.

Raph decided to wait until he'd seen Carl make it to safety before calling it quits and heading home. The firefighter with his small burden was nearly halfway down the ladder and Raph was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when an explosion from inside the burning building rocked the area.

Eyes on the firefighter with the child, Raph saw the man lean forward and wrap his free arm around one of the ladder rungs to steady himself. Flames from both the sixth and seventh floors began to lick at the metal of the ladder above his head.

Firefighters on the street had started shouting at Carl to get on the ladder. Raph saw him reach for a handhold on the window sill when another explosion shook the building and Carl fell backwards into the room.

Smoke rolled from the window and Carl did not reappear. The conflagration from the lowers floors had shot out far enough to begin darkening the metal on the ladder. It was clear that the ladder would have to move and the fighter stuck at the halfway point couldn't continue his descent until it did.

Raph knew that his colleagues did not want to abandon Carl, but their priority was to get the little boy to safety. The ladder began to swing away from the building and that's when Raph decided to act.

Without taking the time to think about exactly what he was going to do, Raph got a running start and leaped over to the opposite roof top.

He landed on a section of roof that was still solid, though he could feel the warmth of the fire on the bottoms of his feet. Even while still air born, Raph had been looking for the way inside the building and he now ran to the roof access hatch. There was a padlock on it, another violation of the safety code, but Raph's sai made quick work of the lock and he yanked open the hatch.

Smoke billowed up at him. Raph's mask offered him some protection for his eyes, but he knew that he wasn't going to be able to breathe once he was inside. Turning his head towards fresher air, he took several deep breaths to fill his lungs, and then stopped breathing.

Raph's chi gung training allowed him to conserve oxygen, but even so, he knew he was going to have to act fast. Leaping through the hatch, Raph landed lightly on the floor below and took a second to try and situate himself.

The last time he'd seen Carl, the man was on the west side of the building, three floors below him. Though it was smoky, Raph could see the door that led to the internal staircase and quickly crossed over to it, yanking it open to get inside.

There wasn't as much smoke in the stairwell and Raph leaped down the steps to the next landing, and from there to the landing below that. He continued on until he reached the ninth floor.

Before attempting to open the door, Raph tested it by lightly touching the back of his hand to the wood. It was a little warm, but not hot, so he did the same to the door handle. Deeming it safe enough, Raph pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway.

The east side of the floor was in flames. Smoke filled the halls and fire snaked up to the ceiling, looking for more fuel.

Though not worried about being able to breathe, Raph didn't particularly want to get his ass burned off. His keen sense of direction told him where he would find the apartment that Carl had been in and Raph dashed towards it.

Having survived the blaze that Shredder had set at April's first shop, Raph was familiar with how a fire moved. The thing he'd forgotten how loud it was. He could almost imagine that it was screaming at him, trying to scare him away so that it could claim Carl as a victim of its voracious appetite.

His flight of fancy almost made Raph miss the sound of someone moaning. When he realized what it was, he'd reached the little boy's apartment. Following that sound led him to Carl, who had made it to the living room before falling debris had trapped him.

Using a pair of throw pillows to protect his hands, Raph swiftly cleared the debris off of the firefighter. Turning him over gently, Raph was relieved to see the man looking up at him.

"Ya' okay buddy? It's time to get out of here," Raph told him. "Can ya' walk?"

"Yes," Carl answered, struggling to get to his feet. Raph grabbed onto his arm and helped him up.

As soon as he was upright, Carl began coughing and swaying. Raph held on to his arm to steady him.

"Whoa there! Are ya' sure you're all right?" Raph asked.

"Something's . . . wrong with . . . my oxygen," Carl gasped out.

Glancing at his back, Raph said, "Your tanks busted. You're gonna have to breathe shallow and move fast. Let's get this stuff off of ya' so it don't weigh ya' down."

Raph helped Carl remove the oxygen tank and the attached mask. As it came off his face and he got a clear view of his rescuer, Carl's eyes widened.

"What . . . who are you?" Carl stammered.

"A guy who's crazy enough to jump into a burning building to save your butt," Raph said. "How about we play twenty questions after we get the shell out of here?"

To his credit, Carl didn't hesitate to move. In the short time that Raph had been in the apartment, the fire had progressed in their direction. Raph was not happy to see that the carpet in front of the inner staircase had already begun to sizzle.

The smoke was heavier and Carl had started to gag on it. "We need to . . . get down low. Crawl under the smoke."

"We ain't got time to crawl," Raph said. "Hang on to me; we've got to get to those stairs before the fire does."

Wrapping an arm around Carl's waist, Raph half lifted him and then barreled down the hallway towards the door. Wrenching it open, Raph slung Carl through in front of him, and then leaped inside as a rumble overhead preceded a ceiling collapse.

Carl gripped the stair railing, looking down at the smoke that was climbing up towards them. "The lower floors . . . ." he began.

"We ain't going down," Raph said, once more getting a solid grip on the man. "We're going up."

Whatever protests Carl started to make were drowned out by the popping sounds of fire entering the stairwell. Though the man was heavy, especially weighted down by his gear, Raph practically carried him up the stairs as he ascended with as much speed as he could muster.

The ladder to the roof, which Raph had bypassed earlier, was far from sturdy and wouldn't take the weight of both of them. Raph pushed Carl against it and when the man began to climb, Raph shoved on his backside to propel him upwards.

As soon as Carl disappeared through the hatch, Raph leaped up to grab the top rung of the ladder and then jumped again to exit the building. Carl was sprawled on his back, coughing and wheezing, clearly suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

Raph reached down and caught Carl under his arms, pulling him to his feet. "Okay pal, ya' can sleep nice and long at the hospital. We still have to get ya' off of this roof, and the fire escape is out of the picture."

"The ladder . . . truck won't . . . reach this high," Carl managed to pant out.

"It couldn't get close anyway," Raph said. "We're on our own. Ya' know that fireman's carry they teach ya' guys? Well, I'm gonna carry ya' like that and ya' ain't gonna wiggle around, got it?"

"And then . . . do what?" Carl asked.

"You'll know after I do it," Raph said, squatting and yanking Carl forward at the same time.

Carl grunted as he landed against Raph's hard carapace, but otherwise did as Raph had told him. Gripping Carl's thigh with one hand, and his arm with the other, Raph turned towards the building next to the one they were on.

Jumping across a wide expanse of space twelve floors up was normally a piece of cake, but Raph didn't usually do it with over two hundred pounds of man and gear on his shell. He took a couple of seconds to fill his lungs with fresh air. Carl seemed to sense what he was about to do, because he clutched at the edges of Raph's shell with his free hand and pressed his loose leg against Raph's scutes.

The whistling sound of fire breaking through another section of roof behind them told Raph it was time to move. He took off at a fast clip, speeding towards the edge of the roof with all the strength he had.

In the next moment he was flying through the air for what felt like an eternity. He had the chance to think how glad he was that he didn't know things like momentum and lift the way that Don did, or he might have started kissing his tail goodbye.

Then he landed on the opposite roof top. It was by no means a pretty landing; his feet skid and then went out from under him. In trying not to drop Carl, Raph wound up on his knees, sliding across the asphalt roofing material and scraping off some skin.

"Shit, shit, shit," Raph muttered as Carl climbed off his back under his own steam. Raph's knees stung and he got up slowly, refusing to look at the damage. One of his brothers would help him clean the wounds later.

"I can't . . . believe you did that," Carl gasped out, still coughing. "You should . . . have left me."

"To hell with that," Raph said. "There's a mom down there waiting to thank ya' and a whole bunch of your buddies ready to chew ya' out. Ya' wouldn't want to miss that, would ya?"

Carl grinned and started to say something, but was cut off by the sound of an approaching helicopter. Raph quickly sprang out of sight behind a large air conditioning unit and Carl followed him, squatting down as well.

"Guess that's not . . . a costume," Carl said. "What's your name?"

"Raphael. Look, we need to get down from here and I don't need to be seen by anyone else. Think ya' can manage the fire escape?" Raph asked.

"I can . . . make it," Carl said.

Together the pair started down the stairs with Carl in front. Even though Raph was prepared to grab him if Carl seemed in trouble, the man moved slow and didn't falter.

Once they were in the alley, Raph made a quick assessment of the situation. There were fire trucks and emergency personnel everywhere, not to mention the crowds and news media who had gathered.

"This is where we part ways," Raph said. "Ya' need to get to a hospital and I've got to find a way out of here."

Carl held out his hand and Raph took it. After they shook, Carl asked, "How can I . . . ever thank you? You . . . saved my life."

Raph eyed him, his brow furrowed in thought. "I don't need any thanks, but there is one thing ya' can do for me."

A little while later Carl slowly made his way towards the fire crews, waving to get their attention. They descended on him, shouting exclamations of surprise and relief, happy to see him alive even if they didn't know how he'd managed it. Or why he wasn't wearing any of his fire gear.

On the opposite side of the street, a firefighter walked away from the scene, the collar of his jacket up and his face hidden beneath his helmet. A couple of blocks away the gear was tossed into a trash can and all that remained of the mystery firefighter was the clanging of a nearby manhole cover.

Many hours later, Carl woke up in a hospital bed. His family and colleagues formed a queue and passed through his room, telling him how happy they were that he was going to be okay.

When the hospital staff finally chased off the last of his visitors, Carl relaxed with a sigh. Parts of the night he'd spent trapped in a burning building were a blur, other parts seemingly clear.

The part that kept replaying in his head involved a very large, very green man, who looked exactly like a turtle. The guy even had a name.

Smoke could do funny things to a guy's brain. Carl shook his head as he started to doze off, and mumbled to himself, "Smoke hallucination. Yep, that's all it was."


End file.
